Three
by Ebimeep
Summary: Three girls dream up a history for themselves that mirrors that of three women from the Great War: Azula's sarcastic firebending sifu, a very lost but intensely kickass Kyoshi Warrior, and a cloistered  if promiscuous  healer. T for language, violence.
1. Prologue

**Three - Prologue**

The three faces are softly illuminated by the flame, provided by one of the girls. They have sat in silence for some time, until one of them speaks out of the darkness, her voice tinged with excitement.

"Hey, guys – I have a great idea."

The faces cluster closer, each reflecting the first girl's energy.

"What?"

"Yeah – tell us your idea!"

The girl pauses for dramatic effect, but the suspense is too much and she speaks early. "Okay. So you know how we've been talking about ethnic stuff and all as related to history in class?"

"Yeah, Kanuka, get _on_ with it!"

"Well, I've been thinking – and I've figured out what each of us is."

A silence, then –

"Huh?"

Kanuka pulls her pillow closer and lifts the straps of her camisole back to their original position. "I've figured out who each of us is! I mean – Yumi, you're obviously a Kyoshi, and Zeia, you're an _Imperial_ firebender. I'm, of course, a healer from the North who has defied all the odds and learned water-"

"Kanuka, what the hell are you talking about?" Yumi's voice is flat.

Zeia chimes in with a skeptical, but – as usual – slightly teasing voice: "Hey, are you dreaming stuff, again, Nunu? I thought we talked about this!"

"Come on, you guys! It's great. Here. If you aren't going to listen now, like, I'll tell you about yourselves and then you'll just _love_ it. Guaranteed satisfaction, silvers back. Okay?"

"Quick question. What era is this?"

"You're such a _nerd_, Zeia. It's in the last years of the Hundred Year War. Satisfied?"

"Sure. Man…I have a bio due next week on the Avatar…"

Yumi giggles. "Which one? If you don't have specifics – that's quite the bio!"

Kanuka gives a loud, petulant sigh and pokes the speaker. The long-nosed girl with colorful hair, despite herself, shows a bit of interest. "Okay, fine – stop _poking – _start with me, then, yeh?"

Kanuka grins. "Alright. Yumi…Yumi is a Kyoshi Warrior. She can't bend, but she's seen as one of the most powerful warriors in the world – second only to the Captain, Suki. Some say she's better, but that she doesn't want the notoriety-"

"The what?"

"The fame. Stop interrupting. So she doesn't want everybody looking at her, so Suki agrees to be Captain instead – but everyone _really _knows that Yumi is the best. She can take out a man blindfolded with both hands tied behind her back. She's stuck in Kyoshi, though – until the _Avatar_ comes to the island. Yumi fights furiously in the battle against the Odious Prince Zuko and almost defeats him, but a dumb rhino interfears and she is knocked out. Next thing she knows, the Kyoshi Warriors are traveling the world and fighting people!

"But then Princess Azula ambushes the Warriors. Yumi is seriously injured by a knife that she didn't see coming – it was Lady Mai – and she and the other warriors are locked up. But not for long – Yumi works with Lady Mai and Ty Lee and they are some of the few prisoners that escape the top-security prison in the Fire Nation. Yumi is not hailed as a hero – but that's just the way she wants it. She is a ferocious warrior and continues traveling through the land, until she meets…"

"Who?"

"Shut up, Zeia, and don't smirk, and she meets…ZEIA! Don't make that face. Anyway. Zeia is a firebender." The girl's light wavers as one of the faces grins. "She's the best firebender in the world. She can make the blue flame, but she finds her own golden flames more wholesome and less cruel than Azula's icy flame – Azula is her student, by the way. Zeia is, of course, Fire Nation. But she hates the Firelord, and when her thoughts come out, she must escape the Fire Nation. She goes to the Earth Kingdom, where she must disguise her identity as a firebender. But it all comes out in Ba Sing Se when she accidently burns down a building!"

"Was it the old BSS High? 'Cause I'm just gonna say it now – that was totally not my fault."

"Sure it wasn't, sure it was. Inconsequential. Anyway, she's captured by the Dai Li and can't escape, mainly because they're kickass smexy earthbenders in an underground earth stronghold."

"Did you just say smexy?"

"No. Zeia tries to escape, but she is brainwashed! After the war, though, she meets up with Yumi. Yumi realizes Zeia has been brainwashed by the Dai Li and takes her to the North Pole, where they have awesome healers. There, they meet Kanuka.

"Kanuka is a healer of the Northern Water Tribe. After Master Katara, she is the second trained waterbending woman (she seduced a hapless warrior) but she mainly focuses on healing – but if she wanted to, she could kill anyone – even bloodbend! Maybe. Kanuka has been trapped in the North Pole by her evil father, but she has a way out – a betrothal necklace from Aduk Ong –"

"Seriosly? He's such a Chin."

"I'm sorry if you hate cute guys. Anyway. Aduk Ong is in love with Kanuka, and agrees to help her escape, if she marries him. Kanuka agrees. After all, she is just so in love with Aduk Ong. Just as a side note – Kanuka is the most beautiful woman in the North Pole. She's had to fight off suitors for years. She could make a collection of betrothal necklaces, if she wanted."

"All right, get on with it."

"So, just before she leaves, Kanuka heals Zeia and she gets back all her memories. Then the four of them – Yumi, Zeia, Kanuka, and the very hot Aduk Ong – become fast friends and travel through the world, spreading peace and justice, just like the Avatar, only cooler."

The three girls go on through the night, planning their lives in the days of the war, so many hundreds of year earlier, until, one by one, they drop off to sleep, until only Zeia remains. She quickly snuffs her fist and sinks in to sleep, dreaming of finals and Avatars and Dai Li and being the greatest firebender in the world.

* * *

A/N: Start to a story about Kanuka, Zeia, Yumi. Will have canon charries, don'tchaworry. :3

Oh, yeah. Avatar: the Last Airbender does not belong to me. This obligatory fact makes me feel depressed. I shall now go watch the season finale on Netflix, because not even the discs belong to me.


	2. Chapter 1: Kanuka

"_Kanuka is a healer of the Northern Water Tribe. After Master Katara, she is the second trained waterbending woman (she seduced a hapless warrior) but she mainly focuses on healing – but if she wanted to, she could kill anyone – even bloodbend! Maybe. Kanuka has been trapped in the North Pole by her evil father, but she has a way out – a betrothal necklace from Aduk Ong, who is in love with Kanuka, and agrees to help her escape, if she marries him. Kanuka agrees. After all, she is just so in love with Aduk Ong. Just as a side note – Kanuka is the most beautiful woman in the North Pole. She's had to fight off suitors for years. She could make a collection of betrothal necklaces, if she wanted."_

_

* * *

_The North Pole was beautiful. Buildings made of crystalline ice and soft white snow lined canals of the bluest water. Delicate decorations trimmed bold geometric designs, and the people wore harmonious blues and lavenders. The North Pole was undisputedly beautiful.

Kanuka hated it.

She was fine with the cold, she loved the snow, and the blinding white of the general scenery didn't bother her well-attuned eyes. She had grown up in the North Pole, after all. What bothered the young woman were all the rules that kept the North Pole undisputedly beautiful – in particular, the one about no one with snowmelons on their chest waterbending. Frankly, Kanuka didn't think that one had much to do with keeping the North Pole beautiful, so much as not distracting the men while they worked.

The young woman stared out over the water, glaring at the horizon, with no real purpose than to not have to look at the young waterbender on one knee in front of her, pretending he loved her but really only staring at the aforementioned snowmelons. It was a disgrace.

"…so please, Kanuka?"

She turned back, stroking one of her long, dark braids. "I'm sorry, what were you saying?"

In response, the young man – what was his name? Oh, right. Po – thrust the shoddily-done betrothal necklace at her. She picked it up off of his mittened palm and held it in her own blue glove. The stone was round, as was traditional, and the pattern crudely done (that part wasn't quite so traditional). The imperious young woman gave it a scornful look and dropped it down on Po's despondent mittens.

"No, Po, your name rhymes with no, I couldn't possibly marry you." The poor boy looked confused, so Kanuka patted him on the head and pushed him towards the door. "Will you send the next ones away on your way out?"

Po gave a tiny nod and then slithered out of the room. A second later, Kanuka heard a great tramping of feet.

Thank goodness _that_ was taken care of. For now, at least.

* * *

A/N: Yay! Review!

No, _I _know they aren't smexy. But Kanuka's Kanuka, so she thinks they're smexy. :P


	3. Chapter 2: Zeia

"_Zeia is a firebender. She's the best firebender in the world. She can make the blue flame, but she finds her own golden flames more wholesome and less cruel than Azula's icy flame – Azula is her student, by the way. Zeia is, of course, Fire Nation. But she hates the Firelord, and when her thoughts come out, she must escape the Fire Nation. She goes to the Earth Kingdom, where she must disguise her identity as a firebender. But it all comes out in Ba Sing Se when she accidently burns down a building!"_

_

* * *

Five years before Sozin's Comet…_

A young girl crouched in the middle of a training rink, muscles tensed, like a predator preparing to pounce on her prey. Her dark hair was tightly pulled up, her eyes glinting dangerously. A second later, she sprung into motion, her body a blur in sharp, precise movements. Brilliant red fire threaded through with icy blue strands followed her hands until she finished the kata and retreated back to her crouch.

The courtyard was quiet, save the panting of the girl, until the other figure shifted her feet and clasped her hands behind her back. The girl leapt up and gave a slight bow, as was only proper between student and master.

Finally, the master spoke, unclasping her hands, a tiny smile on her lips. "Well, Princess, that was quite adequate."

The girl's eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed in an expression that didn't seem quite at home on her rounded, childlike face. "But, Master Zeia, I did the high kick just the way you showed me, and didn't you see the bits of blue – I'm so close to the blue flame, and the kata was _perfect_!"

Zeia raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms, loosely holding her elbows, and walked towards the girl. She spoke archly. "Well, almost. You _are_ close, Princess. But it was far from perfect. We shall focus on that kata for our lesson today."

The Princess Azula's face darkened, her voice taking on a slow, livid tone. "_Just_ that kata?"

"Yes."

Azula's relatively submissive posture was quickly shed and she pulled herself up to her full height, easily adopting her naturally superior air to her current purpose. Staring down her nose best she could at the Imperial Firebender – it ended up being a rather humorous attempt, for the ten-year old's best effort could never equal Zeia's lofty Fire Nation height – she glared at her teacher.

"Master, practicing just one kata in a whole day? That seems like a bit of a _waste_, to me. And I am a princess. I don't want to have my time wasted."

Zeia was unimpressed. "My dear pupil, you are mistaken. Practicing just one kata not only perfects the kata, but it encourages the pursuit of perfection and builds character. It will be good for you – my own master had me do this all the time when I was your age, and you see where it has gotten me?"

"But – but I am far better than you ever were at my age!" The girl's eyes were furious. "I am a natural – Father said so! You can't even make the blue flame! I am the _best!"_

A silence fell over the courtyard, much akin to the earlier silence, but this one was tense. The chasm was being dug deeper between the Azula and her idol, her firebending sifu. Finally, Zeia spoke.

"Yes. You are. But I am better than you, Azula. I am a master. You are my student. And I will always be better than you, Princess, unless you learn respect and follow my orders. Raw talent can never triumph over experience and years of practice." The sarcasm had left Zeia's voice, replaced by deadly seriousness. She saw the path her pupil was beginning to travel down, and it displeased her greatly. "You need to learn patience, Azula-"

The princess turned away and strode out of the training rink, shedding her hand guards as she left.

Alone, Zeia made a face. Azula had tons of power, potential, but she didn't have any conscience. That bothered Zeia, who despite her frequently casual or lackadaisical manner, was surprisingly balanced and could clearly see that Azula was not. She pitied the girl – but not enough to stick around much longer.

"They'll be looking for a new teacher pretty soon," she muttered.

Then she glared at her hand and the blue flame hovering above it – "And I _can_ make it blue."

* * *

A/N: Yay! Chappy two.

Thanks Distant-Moon and Ookami Aya for the reviews!

Distant-Moon: The adventures the three friends have are what they actually had back in the Great War. They came up with these characters, who are actually long-ago reincarnations of themselves, and these following chapters are the long-ago reincarnations who are slightly less Mary-sueish than the girls thought up.

Make sense? Sortof? :3


End file.
